“yeah, that bloke from the—uh—your department,” ron gulped “sableton? he was leading them out they looked rough, but they were alright”
herne sat bak down, a miln quesns in her head it ould wait it would have to wait she was exhausted “oh thank god,” she managed “we hadn’t heard from them sine this afternoon”
ron snorted “you should have seen what harry was wearing”
“will you stop paing?” drao said irritably “i an’t orate when you’re making your best effort to wear a hole in the floor” harry gred at him they’d been in the room for about twenty minutes drao had set to work, making it look like he was attempting to repair the timepiee harry had been w what they were supposed to do at least, he had been silently and yet somehow very loudly expressing himself with heavy sighs, shakes of his head, and the tense pull of his fae
harry finally had sat on the sofa to get off his nervous feet and had hosen to stare at the empty spae that would eventually hold the ase board drao deided to be ho with him, if only beause it was the easiest way to stop harry from thinking himself into a stupor pointing to the empty spae, he said, “after i leave—after i left the penthouse this m, well before the i, i went to have some tea i gathered my notes and anything zivantus had given me and ame to this room in the te afternoon” drao stopped and wondered at the oinidene that his room assig ter that day would be the very same room
he ould tell harry was staring at him but drao fixedly foused on the bak of the timepiee “what—?”
“your thoughts are louder than that infernal musi at the nightlub,” drao offered and dared to gne at harry at the menn of the nightlub, harry tensed
“ing bak was pointless,” harry started he shook his head “we an’t even get valentine”
drao frowned “we wouldn’t know about him if we hadn’t ome bak” he wondered if being taskless in the hotel room had aused harry to regret the moments they’d shared earlier if drao thought bak to those seonds where it’d seemed as if there was nothing but the feel of their own breath between them, he would feel exposed harry had peeled away yers he didn’t know he’d had, and he still wasn’t sure if that simplified his feelings for harry or somehow made them more ompliated “and it wasn’t pointless to me, harry”
harry rossed his arms and frowned, the unmistakable look of shame washing over him so that was it, then? drao supposed he should have realized harry wouldn’t reiproate was it their history? drao’s mark? or the fat that he was a man? he put down the ool metal in his hand and leaned over to stare at harry, suddenly unable to do anything else until he found out why “within these four walls, right now in this moment, an we promise eah other hoy?”
“i’m always ho—”
“don’t give me that bull**, harry,” drao replied, hoping his brash tone would push harry far enough to answer truthfully sometimes drao thought harry’s anger was the most ho thing about him apart from his loyalty, bravery, and empathy
harry’s fae flushed with anger “there you go! you want hoy, drao? half the time i an’t even think beause you make me so bloody angry!” he shot up and walked into the entraneway, his bak turned he stood still for a few minutes, but drao knew he wasn’t done harry’sadmisn surprised him, though, “you were right bak at zivantus’ house” harry turned and foused on drao, his gaze inseure “you were supposed to be this irredeemable git the lines were drawn, and it was easy”
“it was ,” drao offered
“yes! and you and i had our roles you were horrible, drao you took the mark, and you were horrible, siding with him people died beause of you,” harry shook his head, w himself up again he losed his eyes and took a deep, unsteady breath “people died beause of me too, though and i always knew why you did what you did, and that made me even madder i didn’t want to uand you when you lied for me? when you shouted my name that night? it filled me with rage you weren’t supposed to—” drao ouldn’t tell if his heart was sinking at harry’s words or filling with some rare, twisted hope harry shuddered “you’d hanged”
drao hadn’t realized he’d been luthing his legs in a firm grip until harry’s words sent a wave of relief through him and he’d let go
“but now? you’re this—this good guy you’re atively good, better than me even, bloody hell drao you’re an unspeakable!” harry’s fae washed with fear “the magnitude of this ase—the reperusns, what we ould be up against—” drao realized that not only had harry been seeing him in a new way, but he’d been pulled bak into a type of fearful uainty remi of the days of voldemort, and the line between the past and the present had blurred as if sensing drao’s uanding, harry ontinued, “we’re on the same side now, we want the same things, it’s—” harry walked bak and stood aross from drao, the offee table between them he sighed, “sorry, i’ve been ranting, and—i just—i don’t even know what i’m saying anymore you’ve ripped me open with all of this spilling out in the middle of this ase” harry sat in one of the armhairs, a look of defeat on his fae “i’m ashamed that this is all i an think about when bertrie is still out there”
drao almost ughed as harry’s words alleviated his fears he liked his lips “you know you’re the a person i’ve ever met, harry,” he put up a hand to silene any reply until he’d finished “i’m not saying it’s a bad thing; it’s just who you are there will always be something that rattles you, it’s what makes you so, so strong, so ready to fight for something to do something—instead of sitting and waiting for the outome to reveal itself” drao smiled, “it took m
